Because a toothbrush is only able to remove plaque on substantially facial and oral surfaces of the teeth, various preventive aids currently exist for interdental cleaning, including small “interdental bottlebrushes,” dental sticks or toothpicks and dental floss/tape. Dental floss/tape is preferably used in small/narrow interdental spaces with large gingival pockets where brushes, and often even dental sticks, are difficult to use due to lack of space.
The use of dental floss on a frequent basis is desirable for a wide variety of reasons. For a person's general health and well-being, it is a means of cleaning between the teeth and under gum margins so that bacterial or dental plaque is removed—this plaque is considered the leading cause of periodontal disease and tooth loss in adults. Flossing is also well suited for removing food particles after eating as trapped food particles can be unsightly, are often annoying, may interfere with proper speech, and can cause bad breath if left over a period of time.
There are few more exasperating situations that that of needing to clean one's teeth in public and/or when away from home. Although toothpicks are sometimes available at restaurants, they are often not adequate to remove food that has become embedded between the teeth, especially in tight interdental spaces. Moreover, packages of toothpicks and/or conventional packets of thread-like dental floss are often bulky to carry, and it can be a nuisance to carry such packages for only occasional use. Most such packages do little to indicate the amount of floss remaining therein, so it is common to run out of floss at inconvenient times. In addition, the common dental floss package is quite expensive, especially when compared to the cost of the floss it contains—as a matter of fact, the container generally costs many times more than the floss itself.
The use of typical floss is also fraught with difficulty, as the thread or string-like floss is difficult to hold in tension, thus requiring that the user wind the floss around his or her fingers or use an auxiliary accessory tool such as an H or F-shaped floss holder. Moreover, this practice results in only a small of each extracted floss length actually being used for the flossing operation, with the remainder of the floss wasted.
In addition to their excessive bulk and cost, typical floss containers also have their shortcomings. For instance, the floss held in such containers is typically wound on a ribbon or bobbin, which can become tangled, jammed or refuse to dispense material. The terminal end of the floss is generally held by a retaining device which can often double as a cutting tool (i.e., a metal cut-off tabs), which can be difficult to use and/or are prone to failure. Moreover, such containers are extremely wasteful, as the amount of material used to form the container can be 20 times or more than the amount of material used in the floss it contains.
There is a need in the art, therefore, for an interdental cleaning aid that can be inexpensively manufactured and packaged, is stored in a convenient and easily-concealable container, is easy to use and disposed of with little wastage.
Various embodiments disclosed herein provide novel devices and methods for manufacturing a unique multi-layer dental floss and floss deployment system, and containers therefore, that can be inexpensively manufactured and packaged, can be stored in a convenient and easily-concealable container, and that is easy to use and disposed of with little wastage. Moreover, the unique method of deploying the floss from its stored state by stretching the floss between a user's hands desirably provides a fun and exciting incentive for children and adults to use the floss on a frequent basis.
The present invention further includes various storage, containing and dispensing arrangement for dental floss that is packaged in a convenient dental floss system including a plurality of elongated multi-layered floss filaments, sheets or strips. Each strip is capable of being “drawn to stop” or elongated a substantially increased length by a user, with the floss having a high tensile strength when the expansion or “stop” is achieved.
In various embodiments, the multi-layered filaments, sheets or strips described herein can comprise a monomer or polymer material. In one exemplary embodiment, the strip comprises a polymer that is a linear, low density polyethylene or a polypropylene, with each multi-layered floss filament having dimensions on the order of 1½″ to 2 inches in length, 3/16″ in width and 0.006″ in thickness. When the opposing ends of the floss filament are grasped for drawing and orientation of the material's polymer chains has been accomplished, the end portions of the multi-layered filament remain relatively unchanged.
In addition, various embodiments describe simple, inexpensive and recyclable/disposable packages and packaging for dental floss strips. For example, a floss arrangement formed from a sheet of multi-layered monomer or polymer may be provided with appropriate spaced, parallel cuts, desirably resulting in the formation of a plurality of multi-layered floss filament strips that terminate in a partially cut or frangible zone. The product may be sheeted and packed individually or in small stacks. If partially cut through across the filament or left uncut in narrow strip form, the multi-layer tape may be formed on a roll. If desired, strips may also be pre cut and inserted in an envelope or other simple packaging. If using sheets, these sheets may be stacked similarly to the strips, may be multi-layered orientation or may be perforated for ease of use and disassembly.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a multi-layered dental floss that can incorporate a wide variety of additive materials without significantly affecting the ability of the floss to elongate or be “drawn to stop” by a user.
Another objective of the invention is to provide a multi-layered dental floss that is easily carried on a person and that occupies little space.
Another objective of the invention is the provision of a multi-layered dental floss that can be packaged, stored, shipped and/or dispensed in a reduced size, but which can be elongated or “drawn to stop” to substantially greater length by the user for flossing or other use.
A further objective of the present invention is the provision of a unique form of dental floss which can be readily incorporated into a compact package.
A still further objective of the present invention is the provision of a multi-layered dental floss which is simple and rugged in construction, which can be readily manufactured from readily available material, and which has a long shelf life.
It is a further objective of the invention to provide a package of multi-layered dental floss having an appearance that is inconspicuous.
Another objective of the invention is the provision of a simple package for storing a novel form of dental floss.
Another object of the invention is the provision of a form of dental floss which can be used in public without it being noticeable and without embarrassment.
Another objective of the invention is to provide a multi-layered dental flossing device and associated packaging that are resource efficient to manufacture and are recyclable in existing recycling streams.
With these and other objects in view, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the invention reside in the combination of parts set forth in the specifications and covered by the claims appended hereto.
It is to be understood that the features of the various embodiments described herein are not mutually exclusive and may exist in various combinations and permutations.